An invitation to Iona ... that was 3,000 miles off course!

ONE is the cradle of Christianity in Scotland – the other an uninhabited US wildlife sanctuary.

But the Scottish Government has been forced to apologise after an advert for a consultation on its National Islands Plan invited people to the wrong Isle of Iona.

The American island, 3,200 miles from its Scottish namesake, is closed to the public. But the online advert invited anyone interested to attend the meeting at the Isle of Iona, Bear Mountain, New York State.

Headed National Islands Plan Consultation, the advert came complete with a stunning picture of a glorious island sunset.

The event went ahead on the Argyll island last month, with 18 people present.

But Argyll and Bute councillor Roddy McCuish, whose ward covers Iona, said: ‘I was unaware of this meeting and it doesn’t surprise me that there were very few people at the consultation event, given the fact that the location was given as almost 3,500 miles away at Bear Mountain, New York State.

‘The islands plan is one of the most important things that has happened to the islands for years, so it’s vital that this consultation is done right. If we don’t get it right at this stage, I am fearful of getting the wrong outcome.’

A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘The Iona event was incorrectly advertised due to an automatically generated location finder. We apologise if this caused any confusion. We have had a successful start to the National Islands Plan consultation process.’